A LANDLADY'S bid for her pub to stay open until 2am has been thrown out by Bradford Council.

Councillors met on Tuesday to decide whether to grant a licence for The Queen Hotel, on Thornton Road, to open until 2am on weekends.

Six people who live near the pub had objected to the plans, claiming there were already noise issues related to the business, and a later opening would make things worse.

Landlady Pauline Quigley told Bradford Council's Bradford Licensing Panel that she had no intention of opening until 2am - she only wanted the licence to give her enough time to clear the pub of customers.

But after hearing from one resident who argued the later licence would keep neighbouring households awake until the early hours of the morning, members decided to refuse the licence bid.

The pub's current licence means it has to stop service alcohol at midnight, and customers have to leave the site by 12.30am.

Miss Quigley said this meant she was "throwing out" up to 30 people from the pub at 12.30am. Local taxi firms struggled to pick up all these pub goers at once, and she told members that this led sometimes led to noisy scenes outside the venue.

A 2am licence meant she could call last orders at 12.30pm, and give ample time for pub goers to leave.

Councillor Geoff Winnard (Cons, Bingley) said: "If you are applying to close at 2am will it not be the case that everyone just leaves at 2am?"

Alcohol licence for new city centre venue is approved

Miss Quigley said: "I don't want to stay open until 2am, we just want to be covered in case people can't leave by 12.30am, so we're not breaking the law."

Councillor Si Cunningham (Lab, Bolton and Undercliffe) said: "I'm struggling to square the reasons for this. If you are increasing capacity and the time people have to drink, will that not attract even more people? People will be aware they can get served until 2am."

She said the pub had an older clientele, and the late opening would mainly be used when the pub hosted parties.

Legal officer Richard Winter said: "Will the later licence not just transfer the problems at closing time to two hours later?"

He said the idea that people would leave quietly before 2am was "wishful thinking."

Miss Quigley claimed some of the noise that neighbours had complained about likely came from a nearby 24-hour shop.

Among the objectors was Clayton and Fairweather Green Councillor Sinead Engel (Lab). She said: "A later licence will transfer existing problems for residents from very late at night to even later at night without addressing the issues that residents have complained about."

Darren Hodgson, a resident who lives near the pub, said he could "tolerate" the current situation - where pub goers spilled out onto the street at 12.30am, but that a 2am closing time would be a "big problem" for him and other residents.

He added: "There is a possibility a later opening will attract a younger clientele.

"If you grant a 2am closure it will stir me into action. I will be rallying residents and hounding the noise nuisance department every week. I've not complained before because it has been tolerable - that doesn't mean it doesn't annoy me, but it won't be tolerable if it gets the later licence."

Miss Quigley addressed him by pointing out that the pub had been there for over 100 years, and said: "When you bought your house did you not think there could be noise coming from the pub?"

She said she had spoken to numerous residents who supported plans for the pub to open later.

After a deliberation the panel said they would not grant the late licence to the pub due to concerns over noise nuisance.

They did, however, grant part of the licence request - for the pub to open an hour earlier on Sunday mornings (11am).